When Houses Collide
by Hyperactive Lioness
Summary: A group of ten of the most unlikely wizards and witches are forced together to work on a school project... Dumbledore's idea, of course!
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter!**

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**Chapter One:**

It was the first week into the new school year, and Dumbledore didn't like what he was seeing.

"The students are supposed to have House _unity_," he ranted to Minerva McGonagall that same night. "Not running around trying to win _points _or knock each other off their broomsticks in that silly sport this school supports!"

McGonagall didn't argue. The headmaster was obviously going off the edge, as she was never going to have anything even remotely close to "House unity" with someone like Severus Snape.

O.o.O.o.O.o.O

"Fifth-years, oh yeah!" Fred Weasley yelled as he slapped his twin's outstretched hand.

"We have had four glorious, prank-filled, Filch-annoying years," George said solemnly, then grinned a devious grin. "Let's make this one the same!"

"Hear, hear!" their friend, Lee Jordan interrupted. They all clinked glasses of pumpkin juice as Percy watched, frowning disapprovingly, as he was pretty sure they were planning something against the rules.

"Excuse me, students!" Dumbledore stood up, and the Great Hall became quiet almost immediately. "I'm sorry to have interrupted your dinner, but I have noticed that our House unity has been a little, ahem, _lacking_, lately."

"_What _House unity?" George whispered, and both Fred and Lee shrugged.

"And so I have devised an, um, _project_, if you will, that will count for most of your grade this year," Dumbledore continued. The teachers all looked at each other, alarmed.

"_What is he talking about_?" Flitwick mouthed to the new Defense teacher, Remus Lupin. He shrugged.

"This is only for second years and up," Dumbledore continued, "so first years, you don't have to pay attention. Now, this is how this little project is going to work. I have divided all of you into groups. Your group will write your group's name on a slip of paper and drop it into the Sorting Hat." He gestured to the ragged hat sitting on the stool beside him. "The Hat will then spit your paper back out, and your assignment will be on it. They vary, so one group may get a report about broomsticks, another something about Muggle cars. Now, will you all stand against the wall?" They did so, and Dumbledore flicked his wand. The long House tables vanished, to be replaced by smaller, round tables, surrounded by ten chairs each, scattered throughout the Great Hall.

"Now you may find the seat which your name is at," Dumbledore said enthusiastically. "Whatever other students are sitting at your table are the rest of your group!" The first years were herded to a bigger table at the end of the Hall, and the frantic searching began.

Fred, George, and Lee were looking together, but were separated when Lee found his name at a table that was already occupied by a second-year Hufflepuff boy and a sour faced girl from Slytherin. They wished him luck and continued their own search.

As they weaved their way between the tables, they noticed that all sorts of dream teams had been broken up. Harry, Ron, and Hermione were all sitting, glum-faced, at different tables, and Crabbe and Goyle looked bewildered, as they were separated without Malfoy telling them what to do.

Both twins were thinking the same thing.

_Please let us be at the same table!_

Suddenly, they heard a familiar voice.

"Fred! George! Over here!"

They looked over to where the voice was coming from. Alicia Spinnet was waving them over to a table that was close to the Head's table. The twins eagerly raced over to her, and saw the name 'Fred Weasley' on one placecard and 'George Weasley' on the one beside it.

"Are you in this group too?" Fred asked as they both sat down.

Alicia nodded. "So's another Gryffindor." She held up a placecard that read 'Seamus Finnigan'.

"Four Gryffindors..." George mused. "D'you think we'll be lucky enough not to have any Slytherins in our group?"

"I hope we don't," Fred whispered as he glanced hopefully at the people still milling around, searching for their seats.

"I think you spoke too soon," Alicia said, looking over her shoulder at the scowling figure moving it's way towards their table. "Look who it is."

"Flint?" Fred and George said at the same time.

"Yeah." Marcus Flint grunted as he took his seat. Glancing quickly at the placecard marking the seat next to his, he bellowed across the Great Hall, "DRACO! YOUR SEAT'S OVER HERE!"

"We get Flint _and _Malfoy?" George groaned as Draco took his seat next to Flint, also scowling.

"It also appears that you have me." Both twins whipped around to come face-to-face with none other then Luna Lovegood, also known around Hogwarts as "Loony". She smiled serenely and took her seat, clutching a brightly-colored magazine.

"Luna?" The blonde turned her head as her name was called. Cho Chang waved to her. "Is my seat over there?" Luna nodded vaguely, checking the seat next to her. Cho slipped into her seat just as two Hufflepuffs, Ernie Macmillan and Cedric Diggory, took theirs. Fred caught Seamus' eye, and tried to convey the message that Seamus' seat was at their table.

"IT'S OVER HERE!" Fred and George both screamed across the Great Hall, waving their arms wildly. Seamus just shrugged.

"I can't understand you!" he mouthed. Fred and George just continued their tirade of arm-waving and screaming. Seamus must've eventually gotten the message, because he was in his seat when Dumbledore rose to talk once again.

"As I have seen that you all are in your respective groups, I will leave you to eat our feast, get to know one another, and create a name for your group." He waved his hands, and food and drink appeared on the different tables.

"So..." Fred and George said awkwardly at the same time. "What now?"

"Well," Cho said, after a long silence. "Dumbledore said we should get to know each other, so maybe... We should introduce ourselves?"

"Sure," Alicia said encouragingly, frowning at Flint, who had just made a scoffing noise. "I'll go first. I'm Alicia Spinnet, fifth year, and... And my favorite color is dark purple!" She looked expectantly at the person to her left.

"My name's Fred Weasley, fifth year, and I like the color blue. George?"

His twin cleared his throat. "I'm George, also Weasley, also fifth year, but my favorite color is orange."

"Hello, my name is Ernie Macmillan, third year, and I like yellow."

"And I'm Cedric, sixth year, my favorite color's red."

"Hello," Luna said in her dreamy voice. "I'm Luna Lovegood, second year, and mint green is always a good color to have around. It keeps away the nargles."

"I'm Cho Chang," the Ravenclaw proceeded like she hadn't heard the oddity that Luna had just said. "I'm a fourth year, and I like the color silver."

"Marcus Flint," he grunted rather reluctantly. "I'm in my seventh year, and I like black."

"Draco Malfoy. Third year. Green." He said all of this extremely fast, then turned to the last person at their table.

"I'm Seamus Finnigan," he said. "I'm in third year, and I support Ireland, so me favorite color's green, too." He looked slightly disgusted at having the same favorite color as a Slytherin.

With nothing left to say, the ten people occupying the table watched as the plates magically filled themselves. Fred and George started piling their plates, and without another word, the rest of them followed suit.

O.o.O.o.O.o.O

"Alright," Dumbledore stood up, clapped his hands, and any food that was still on the plates disappeared. "I hope you have all came up with a name to represent yourselves..." Fred and George shared a look.

"We don't have a name, do we?"

"Not even close."

O.o.O.o.O.o.O

As each group proceeded to the front, there was one group at the back of the line, whispering.

"Names, anyone?"

"No."

"Shut up, Flint, and give us some name ideas!"

"The Marcus Flint Society."

"Okay, that is the _last _time I ask a Slytherin for creative help."

"Guys, stop spatting! We just need a name!"

"Fine! Any other ideas?"

"How about... _Blue_."

"What the heck, Macmillan?"

"It was just a suggestion!"

"A _stupid _suggestion."

"Well, nobody asked _you_, Malfoy!"

"I recall that Weasley over there asking me _something_."

"If you had any name ideas!"

"If I did, they'd be way better then _Blue_."

"Stop ripping on my Housemate!"

"Get out of my face, Diggory!"

"Stop fighting, please! Luna, do you have any name ideas?"

"Thanks, Cho. We could be... _Wizards Against Nargles_."

"Augh, I knew it. She's insane!"

"What _is _a nargle, anyway?"

"Don't encourage her, Finnigan!"

"Um, may I have your paper, please?"

They had reached the front, and Albus Dumbledore was looking expectantly at them.

"Um, Headmaster?" George said, searching for words to explain that they were nameless, when Luna, acting surprisingly aggressive, pushed her way to the front of the group.

"Here you go, Professor."

The small piece of parchment fluttered into the waiting brim of the Sorting Hat, which almost immediately spit it out again. Marcus Flint caught it.

"Our assignment is to do a report on the holiday traditions of the early German muggles," he said flatly. "And what does it mean, our name is "Pale Blue Nargles"?"

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**There you have it! Read and review!**

**:Hyperactive Lioness:  
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	2. Chapter 2

**Sorry I haven't updated in a while...**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Harry Potter!**

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**Chapter Two: **

"The Flaming Fireballs!" Dumbledore said energetically as the group stood up at their table and everyone applauded them. "And lastly we have... The Pale Blue Nargles!" The group stood up reluctantly.

"I hate this assignment," Draco muttered as many people laughed at their name.

"That's all I have to say," Dumbledore said in closing. "But I strongly encourage you, in your groups, to try and call each other by your first names. No fighting, you're just a big family for the next nine months! Have a good time!"

"Yeah right," Fred and George groaned, rolling their eyes.

"A big _dysfunctional _family, more like it," Alicia said apprehensively, looking around at her group-mates.

O.o.O.o.O.o.O

**DAY ONE:**

"So, how are we going to go about this?"

They were in the library, all crowded around a big table, books spread out before them all.

"Well," Cedric said, "we can _finally_ start!" Fred and George had arrived twenty-five minutes late, wearing identical evil grins and the smell of smoke. Nobody had asked where they were, and nobody wanted to know.

"Shut up," George said, eying the many stacks of books. "Who got all of these out, anyway?"

"I was doing some research," Cho admitted.

"Overachiever," Draco muttered.

"What do you expect, she's a Ravenclaw," Marcus replied.

"Anyway," Cho went on, ignoring the two Slytherins, "I found out a whole bunch of stuff. Like the early German muggles were famous for..." Almost simultaneously, every head dropped onto the table.

"What?" Cho asked, confused.

"So boring... Losing interest..." Seamus' muffled voice issued from under his folded arms.

"Well, at least I _want _to get a good grade on this project!" Cho shrieked. "It's not _my _fault I have to work with a bunch of brainless buffoons!"

"You did _not _just call me what I think you did," Marcus Flint said, raising his head from the table and looking menacing.

"I did!" Cho's eyes were sparkling with tears now. "If you all want to get a "T" on this, then fine by me!" She stomped out of the library, and Cedric followed.

"Cho, wait up!"

Everyone else in the library just looked at each other.

"What now?" Alicia questioned.

"We were better off without them anyway," Fred replied bracingly.

"Better off or not, they'll be back," Luna said dreamily. "Ravenclaws don't get "T's"."

"This has been all very intellectually stimulating," Marcus said sarcastically, "but I'm afraid I'll be leaving now."

"Huh?" Draco asked, confused.

"Remember? Quidditch practice?"

"Oh, yeah... _Quidditch practice_."

They both then exited the library, looking very pleased with themselves.

"Do you really think they have practice?" Ernie questioned. The rest of the group shook their heads "no".

"This is going to be harder then I thought," Alicia said dejectedly.

O.o.O.o.O.o.O

**DAY TWO:**

They were once again in the library, minus one Cho Chang, who (according to Luna) was in the Ravenclaw common room, sulking and researching.

"If she's doing all of the research for us, then why are we even here?" George asked as soon as they were all around the biggest table the library had to offer. "I don't know about the rest of you, but I have better things to do then to sit around doing nothing."

"I agree," Fred said from next to his twin. "We have a few, er, _things_ that we need to attend to."

"Shut up and pay attention," Alicia snapped uncharacteristically, standing up. "You all heard what Dumbledore said. We're a family for the next nine months, and we need to start treating each other like one. So... I took the liberty of pairing everyone up, so we can learn a little bit about each other."

Marcus and Draco immediately moved closer, as did Fred and George. Alicia smirked.

"As Cho's not here, I guess I'll just walk around and see how your little groups are doing. Okay, the partners are... Luna and Seamus." Seamus' head fell to the table, and Luna just smiled serenely up at the ceiling. "Fred and Ernie." Fred glanced warily at his partner, who had his nose in a book. "George and Draco."

"I REFUSE TO BE WITH MALFOY!" George bellowed at the same time that Draco yelled--

"I REFUSE TO BE WITH THAT WEASLEY!"

"Shh, you'll get along perfectly. And finally, Marcus and Cedric." The two Quidditch captains had been glaring at each other this entire time (Alicia suspected that they were having a staring contest), and they didn't stop now. "And I was going to be paired with Cho. Okay? Okay! Go and like each other!"

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**Well, there it was! :)**

**REVIEW!**

**:Hyperactive Lioness:  
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